Overloaded electrical socket causes death

Coroner reports overloaded socket caused fire

An inquest has now found that Mr Bennett died from carbon monoxide inhalation after concluding the fire was caused by plug sockets that became overloaded in another flat.

Fire officer Glenn Mears told the inquest into Mr Bennett’s death: “We investigated a range of potential causes and we found that localised overheating of an extension lead had caused ignition. It was a six-gang extension lead with loose connections.”

“This ignited combustibles nearby (carpet and sofa) and took hold, then spread to the floors above.

“There was clear evidence the fire started in the lounge and spread to the bedroom as the furniture in the bedroom had top-down burning.”

A post-mortem examination confirmed that Mr Bennett had been drinking alcohol before the alarm was raised, which may have impaired his ability to escape. He had a blood alcohol reading of 312mg – four times the legal drink drive limit.